The cross with a circle has been popularly known as a "Celtic
Cross" since around 1850. The form itself evolved between the 4th and
9th century. Also known as "The Irish Cross" or "The Irish
High Cross" this type of cross is now associated with Celtic
heritage. Use of the phrase "Celtic Cross" is an acknowledgement
that the form is not only Irish, but was and is shared by Scotland, Wales,
Cornwall and other regions that were influenced by early Celtic
Christianity.

In the 1840s reproductions of historical Celtic jewelry began to be produced and sold in Ireland. This new interest in native antiquities was
the beginning of a renewed interest in past Irish cultural achievements
and grew into a literary and artistic movement known as 'The Celtic
Revival".

In 1853 casts of two historical High Crosses were exhibited with great
success at the Dublin Industrial Exhibition. In 1857
Henry O'Neill published Illustrations of the Most Interesting of the Sculptured
Crosses of Ancient Ireland. These two events stimulated interest in the
Celtic Cross as a symbol for a renewed sense of heritage. New
versions of the High Cross quickly became fashionable cemetery monuments
in Victorian Dublin in the 1860s. From Dublin the revival spread to the
rest of the country and beyond.

The photo on the right shows one of the last of the circle
headed crosses of the medieval tradition. This cross on the Scottish Isle
of Iona is known as MacLean's Cross and is dated from the 15th century.
Decorated with interlaced design this monument and others like it can be
said to represent an unbroken tradition that goes back to the earliest
days of Christianity in the Celtic lands. From the time of the Protestant
Reformation until the Celtic Revival, interlace decoration continued to be
used on jewelry and furniture but appears to have ceased in stone carving.
The creation of Celtic Crosses almost ceases between 1516 and around
1850. (The only 2 examples I know of during this
prolonged drought are the Clanranald Stone on South Uist, 1572 and a cross
at Cruicetown, Co. Meath, 1688.If you
know of any others, please email me)

Victorian Pebble Jewelry Celtic Cross. Mid to
late 19th century. It is very unusual to see a revival of Celtic
interlace on pebble jewelry this early.

Celtic Crosses were also being produced as jewelry and this use
continues to the present. The advertisement above is from the Royal Tourist Guides Iona & Staffa 1882.

MacLean's Cross, 15th c.

Shell cross
Sold as a souvenir of Iona
circa 1880s

Iona especially became well known for Celtic jewelry. In
1899 Alexander and Euphemia Ritchie began producing Celtic jewelry and
crafts on the island. They soon established a workshop and showroom in the Old
Nunnery grounds. Their enterprise was
influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement and it took advantage of
growing tourism and religious interest in the early Celtic Church. The
survival of many splendid monuments on Iona served the Ritchies as a
pattern book of historical Celtic design.

Silver Celtic Cross pendants by Alexander Ritchie circa 1920s and 1930s,
based on historical stone carving on the Isle of Iona.

By the 1890s Celtic Crosses began to appear in cemeteries
and churches around the world, wherever there was a Scottish or
Irish Diaspora population with pride in their origins. Irish cemeteries
now seem to be choked with Celtic Cross monuments. Inspection of the
dates inscribed on them shows few are more than 100 years old. Most of the elaborate crosses erected
prior to 1900 marked the graves of priests. After Irish independence
a flood of Celtic Cross monuments appear and the majority of the crosses
seen today are from the 20th century.

Celtic Revival crosses are often decorated with Celtic knotwork and
other antique decoration but they are also frequently decorated with
contemporary religious and national symbols. Harps and shamrocks decorate
many of the earlier Celtic Revival examples. Sacred Hearts, messages such
as "Rest in Peace" or "IHS" monograms are also
evidence that these monuments were not merely imitations of historical
sculpture, but have become a traditional form for expressing conventional
fashions and sentiments.

In Ireland the majority of Celtic Crosses are created for Catholic
patrons, but the Protestant Church of Ireland uses the Celtic Cross as
well. Many other Protestants
of Celtic heritage, especially those outside Ireland, also make use of the
Celtic Cross. The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church USA has, as
an emblem of his office, a silver pectoral Celtic Cross that
was acquired on Iona in 1946. The American Presbyterians have used the
Celtic Cross as a logo for many years, reflecting that
denomination's historical connection to the Church of Scotland.

The Celtic Cross is now one of the most popular emblems of Celtic
design. The trend has gone from the impressive monuments of
the early Celtic Revival, that like their medieval prototypes, were public
statements of the art of the community, to rendering of the Celtic Cross
for for personal expression of faith and heritage. Jewelry has replaced
grave stones as the most common expression of this symbol. Craft objects
for personal use, clothing and tattoos are all media where new versions of
the Celtic Cross are evolving in the continuum of this powerful symbol.